Redi-Mag

I've decided to start my new blog with a review of a product I recently tested out for a friend of mine.

When I first saw the Redi-Mag a few years back I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. This looked like something to get broken, weigh the AR down, or just some stupid bolt-on for the techno gear head that read to many comic books (i.e. gun magazines). When my friend ordered one I was skeptical to say the least. So I went over to her house to check out the new gear and it was decided that I would try it out in the three day shooting class that I had just completed the first classroom day of. With two days on the range ahead of me I was bolting parts onto my carbine with no idea of what to expect.

Putting the Redi-Mag MkI onto the lower receiver of the AR is fairly easy in principal. In practice the front spacer block system is a royal pain in the ass. Getting the unit set up is a breeze. Just push the spring pin in on the front of the trigger guard and swing it out of place. The Redi-Mag is then slid up over the mag well with the rubber pads in place. This part is easy enough that any dork with an ink pen can get it done. Putting that block into the front and inserting the bolts and nuts, on the other hand, takes two men and a small boy to get everything in place, torqued around, lined up, threaded through, and screwed tight. Eventually, with the careful application of some brute force and a slightly fumble fingered friend the thing was on. Oh well, you only have to do it once right?

With it on I practiced a few times and felt like I was getting the hang of operating the single lever and my mag release button and all that jazz. The first day on the range everyone was looking at me a little weird (more than normal) for having this parkerized green 'thing' attached to the side of my gun, holding a second P-mag on there. Very quickly I noticed myself to be reloading cleaner and faster than everyone else. I'd like to say this would have been the case anyway, but the Redi-Mag definitely made a standout difference. As the class wore on more people started noticing and asking about it, including all of the instructors. The instructors were the best part as they didn't have a plan for this in their training program.

The extra mag I carried on my belt quickly became a topic of discussion. With the Redi-Mag, the belt mounted mag was never used to reload, only to top off the Redi-Mag. This created a glitch in the training method as the finger forward technique method that is standardized in pistol shooting wont work with topping off the Redi-Mag as the fingers get in the way. Instead the 'Beer Can' grip must be used, not just for topping off, but it's needed to reload too. This meant I carried my belt mag with the bullet tip pointed back. I didn't mind this one bit, and the instructors took a little warming up to it.

The release method was discussed as well. The head instructor felt that there should be an ability to release the mag in the Redi-Mag by simply depressing the standard mag release button instead of having to hit the lever on the unit. After some considerable thought I decided this wasn't all that desirable and that the current system is probably the way to go. Should I happen to accidentally hit the mag release button on the gun and dump the mag currently loaded, I'd also loose my reload, loosing not 30 but 60 rounds to the dirt. By having to use the Redi-Mag mounted lever to release the reload I take out the possibility of inadvertent discharge. I'll keep it how it is.

The only down side I've really found to this system is the bolt catch extension. This is a cheep piece of plastic that gets the job done but little else.
Soon I hope to ad the Magpul B.A.D. lever to take care of this problem child of the Redi-Mag. The sooner gone the better.

Over all, the test unit is NOT going back to the owner. I told her this and it became my birthday present. Happy birthday to me! :D